¿Ha visto la serie antológica británica de ciencia ficción Black Mirror? Si es así, probablemente pensaste: "Dios mío, definitivamente podría haber ocurrido en la vida real". Utilizan una aplicación móvil que rastrea tu vida y deja una puntuación sobre cómo te comportas. Por ejemplo, el exceso de velocidad o discutir con alguien bajaría tu puntuación. Como resultado, los bancos pueden negarse a conceder créditos. ¿Te imaginas que algunas ciudades de China ya lo hagan?

Muchos programadores se preguntan cómo construir una red social que aporte beneficios reales a la gente. Inspirada en la película del espejo negro "Nosedive", ¿cómo podría ser una red social que te puntúe en la UE? ¿Es una buena idea de negocio? ¿Podría convertirse en un negocio de 1.000 millones? ¡Averigüémoslo!

Nosedive: Black Mirror, Temporada 3, Episodio 1

Puede que pronto vivamos en una nueva realidad en la que gran parte de nuestra vida dependa de cómo nos evalúen los demás. Tu valoración social tiene un efecto tangible en las oportunidades y lujos que puedes permitirte. Tu calificación determina tu clase social, pero también afecta a aspectos más tangibles de tu vida, como:

- alquiler;

- trabajo;

- tratamiento médico;

- oportunidades de citas, etc.

La acción representada en el famoso programa de televisión Black Mirror rara vez ocurre en un futuro lejano. En la mayoría de los casos, la única diferencia real que se aprecia es la tecnología única que se destaca en el episodio.

Lacey Pound vive en un mundo en el que amigos y desconocidos pueden puntuarte en una escala de cinco puntos. Utilizan tecnologías integradas en sus teléfonos móviles y "lentes inteligentes". Esta tecnología no sólo afecta al estilo de vida diario de cada uno, sino también a su posición en la sociedad. Las personas con una valoración inferior a 2,5 puntos pertenecen a la clase más baja. Lacey, que desea ferozmente caer bien a todo el mundo, ostenta actualmente una impresionante calificación de 4,2 puntos. Vive con su novio Ryan, cuya puntuación es más baja porque no se preocupa por su apariencia social. Su periodo de alquiler está a punto de expirar y Lacey sueña con mudarse a otro lugar. Lacey se entera de que su puntuación debe ser de 4,5 puntos o más para conseguir un apartamento de lujo. ¡Y ahí empiezan las aventuras!

¿Podría imaginarse una situación así en nuestra realidad? Mientras tanto, todo esto ya existe. Sí, no tenemos implantes AR Vision que muestren la puntuación de todo el mundo. Pero esta tecnología ya está adoptada en algunas ciudades de China. 

Social Credit System in China

The social rating divides all Chinese residents into four unequal castes:

– Class A citizens have the full range of rights. 

– Category B has fewer rights. 

– Class C citizens have even fewer rights. 

– Class D is an absolute pariah, an analog of the untouchables in the Indian caste system.

China’s Social Credit System is a very ambitious initiative. The purpose is to create a database that tracks the behavior of individuals, companies, and governments. For positive public actions, participants receive a reward, and they are penalties for a low rating.

That is possible to increase your rating; a person needs to:

– donate blood;

– do volunteering;

– collect garbage separately, etc.

Of course, losing rating points is much easier than acquiring them.

The databases are managed by:

– Chinese economic planners;

– National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC);

– People’s Bank of China (PBOC);

– country’s judicial system. 

The Chinese government is experimenting with video surveillance and real-time data transmission data collection. They collect most of the data from traditional sources:

– financial;

– criminal;

– government records;

– existing data from registry offices. 

A good rating will lead to a reward, while a low rating can lead to punishment. Unreliable individuals may face some restrictions affecting different areas: 

– loans;

– travel by plane or rail;

– education. 

What will happen if they approve the Chinese social credit system in 2023? Will they transport China to a world of violent dystopias? 

How could a social network that scores you look in the EU? 

We have experienced a lot of fear of technology. If we live in a dystopia now, we seem to cope well with it. “Black Mirror” shows technological progress, which uses extreme scenarios to make us think about what we should do in the future. Is it possible to introduce a similar system in Europe?

The purpose of the system is to increase transparency for society. But it also serves as a government tool for controlling almost all aspects of our lives. The social credit rating usually provokes anger among Western commentators, and many of them think the social credit system looks like an authoritarian government. 

The social rating system is based on two pillars:

– First, it is the ubiquitous penetration of the facial recognition system. 

– Second, it is a presence of a person in many databases?banking, medical, police, which exchange information with each other in real-time.

Artificial intelligence technologies allow the processing of large amounts of data at a top speed. It is very tempting for the state to have analyzed information about the life of citizens, and it helps to understand what is happening to society, what its needs are, and what needs to be changed.

There is a great temptation to divide people into specific categories. For China, this path of social differentiation is understandable. But in other parts of the world, using a social rating system is unusual. It is an ambiguous solution that carries many hidden risks. And above all, it is the risk of losing personal freedom and the right to choose.

A person can slide to the bottom of the social pyramid without committing a single illegal act. Now the criteria of integrity are determined by laws. But by introducing a social rating, you can find yourself at the bottom of the pyramid. This is one of the most terrible risks.

Introducing any, even the most progressive innovations, always causes different opinions. This also applies to introducing social monitoring?there are pros and cons. Such social monitoring can be helpful for:

– planning;

– prevention of offenses;

– diagnosis of diseases.

There are psychological risks in the social rating system, and there are also substantial technological risks because the system is imperfect. Besides, the legal system is being pushed into the background. Are people in Europe ready for this?

The Future of Social Network

The most valuable categories are happiness and health. Are they determined by the class to which a person is assigned? No one can give us the benefit of being healthy or happy. And where is the measure of what will make us happy? One needs a lot of money to be satisfied, another needs the opportunity to make global decisions, and the third needs to create.

A person should be able to choose, and we should not violate it. You can sacrifice some freedoms, but you cannot deprive people of the right to choose. This is a significant psychological moment.